The AKB48 Group teams will compete against each other in a new event, the AKB48 Group Pennant Race. Points will be awarded based on theater ticket applications, theater version handshake ticket sales and sousenkyo votes.

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18 January 2012

Wotagei Guide for AKB48 Concerts [2.0]

Recently a number of people have been linking to the old wotagei guide on the blog. Which is heavily outdated and missing a lot of info. The old guide was created before I started watching AKB48 concerts regularly.

Thus I decided to create a new one.

Learning this is not a requirement for an AKB concert. This guide is for those people who do wish to learn.You don't have to force yourself to learn it.Sometimes the best way to learn is by experience.

1.0) What is it and why we should do it
If you watch an idol concert, be it AKB48, Hello!Project, Momori Clover etc etc, you would have probably noticed some form of cheering or dancing from the audience. That is Wotagei (ヲタ芸).

Wotagei means "wota (idol fan) art". It refers to a type of dancing and cheering gestures performed by Wota. These involve jumping, clapping, arm-waving and chanting (not the type of chanting by priests or monks though). Wotagei is quite a broad field, encompassing many different skills. However in this post I will only talk about those used in AKB48 concerts.

Wotagei in AKB48 concerts are limited to just cheering and simple arm movements, due to the space constraints, and that in the AKB48 Theater you are required to sit down. There is no dancing around like the OAD and Romance and all that.

Fan participation is quite important in Japanese concerts. Wotagei helps to adds to the excitement in the concert. It also builds unity between you and the AKB48 members, and also among fellow wota.

Now on to the actual guide. Let's start with the one most prominent.

2.0) The MIXes

The MIXes are the chants the fans shout during lots of mid and high tempo AKB48 songs. Doing a MIX during a sad, slow, and especially ballad songs is unacceptable.

The MIX is only shouted when there isn't any singing, like at the beginning of the song, or during the instrumental parts. It helps to build up the intensity of the show without interrupting the girls. And it's also more organised than random shouting from the fans.

The words in the MIXes actually have no relation whatsoever to the lyrics of the song.

Just a word of note, the MIX did not originate from AKB48, nor is it limited to AKB48. It has been used for idol songs for a many many years before AKB48 was even formed. There are also many variations to the MIX, but below are the 3 used in AKB48 concerts

2.1) The Standard MIX

Aaaa

あ～

(or what I just simply call the 1st MIX)
The Standard MIX is the one commonly used in AKB48 songs. It is shouted at the at the start of the song, and ends just before the members start singing.

You first start with "Aaaa Yossha Ikuzo!", meaning "HERE WE GO!!!", then start the MIX. It is like a indication to MIX.

The first MIX of a song is always the Standard MIX. You never start with anything else. Usually you only say the Standard MIX once, then you go on to the Japanese MIX during the next instrumental.

The order of the MIXes are:Standard (1st) => Japanese (2nd) => Ainu (3rd)

Yossha Ikuzo!

よっしゃいくぞー！

Tiger (Taiga)

タイガー

Fire (Faiya)

ファイヤー

Cyber (Saiba)

サイバー

Fiber (Faiba)

ファイバー

Diver (Daiba)

ダイバー

Viber (Baiba)

バイバー

Jya Jya!

ジャージャー！

You can hear the Standard MIX at 0:07 of this video

2.2) The Japanese MIX

Aaaa

あ～

(or what I just simply call the 2nd MIX)

The Japanese MIX is used in the 2nd instrumental of the song. In some cases it is used at the beginning of the song. You will see that in Section 2.4

Unlike the Standard MIX, for the Japanese (and Ainu) MIXes you start off with "Mou Iccho Ikuzo!", which means "HERE WE GO ONE MORE TIME!!!"

Basically the Japanese MIX just a Japanese translation of the Standard MIX. Everything else is the same.

The reason why it is not so commonly shouted is because since the MIX is shouted at the instrumentals, you can only shout it during only a song with 3 instrumentals. Very few AKB48 songs have 3 instrumentals.

The Ainu MIX is still used in the 3-ren MIX (Section 2.5) and most importantly the AKB48 Overture.

The 2-ren MIX is used in songs with a long intro or instrumentals. It's just the Standard MIX and the Japanese MIX joined together. Just like the Standard, Japanese and Ainu MIXes, you end it just before they start singing again.

Note that you don't do the "Aaaa Mou Iccho Ikuzo!" at the start of the Japanese MIX. Like I said earlier, that's just an indication to start the MIX, which you already did at the start of the Japanese MIX.

The 3-ren MIX is rarely shouted since you need an extra long instrumental for it. Just like the 2-ren MIX, the 3-ren MIX is the Standard, Japanese AND Ainu MIXes together. It is still used in the AKB48 Overture, and I don't think that will be changed.

It is also used in songs with extra long intros and instrumentals, but because the Ainu MIX isn't used so much, not many people know the words to shout. So instead fans nowadays use the 1.5-ren MIX (section 2.6).

Because the Ainu MIX isn't used so much in songs, not many people know the words to shout. So instead of the 3-ren MIX, fans nowadays use the 1.5ren MIX. Sometimes also called the 2.5-ren MIX.

You start first with the Standard MIX, and then move on to the Japanese MIX. But after shouting "Seni", where "Ama" is supposed to be, you start all over at "Aaaa Yossha Ikuzo!" and then the Standard MIX.

Originally it was only used in a few songs like Pajama Drive, Melos no Michi and Only Today.

You can hear the 1.5/2.5-ren MIX at 0:17 of this video

But now a number of AKB48 single songs use the 1.5-ren MIX too. Ponytail to Shushu is a good example.

You can hear the 1.5/2.5-ren MIX of the 0:10 of this video

2.7) Miscelleneous MIXes

For songs with a sudden start, like in Heavy Rotation and Yaruki Hanabi, the MIX is delayed and you shout it at the next instrumental.

The MIX starts at 0:37 of this video

There are also two songs where you shout the MIX while the AKB48 girls are still singing. Those songs are:

Dear my Teacher (1:10)

Suifu wa Arashi ni Yume wo Miru (1:10)

In both cases, the MIX is shouted on the line just before the chorus, and without the "Aaaa Yossha Ikuzo!"
These are the only two songs which this is done.

3.0) Cheers

Apart from the MIXes, there are some other cheers too.

3.1) Oooo-ing
The word is literrally オーイング. I don't know any way to explain this other than just showing you examples.

3.1.1) Hai! Hai! Hai-Hai-Hai-Hai!

1:01 of this video:

3.1.2) oooOOO HAI!

1:05 of this video:

This probably originated from the PPPH (short for Pan Pa-Pan Hyuu!) but instead of clapping you just shout "oooOOO" (rising intonation) and then "HAI!". The reason for this is because in the AKB48 Theater, you have to sit down.

Some fans just do the "oooOOO", without the following "HAI!" It's just personal preference.

3.2) OGS!(オージーエス!)
At the start of certain songs, after the drum beat, you shout "OGS!".
Many people mistake "OGS!" for "Fourty Eight". This is wrong.

A full explanation by Hana of Nihongogo:OGS are the initials for a wota (one of the 7 who were there for the first Team A show). Them yelling his initials started as kind of an in-joke in the theater (back in the days when you could actually get into the damn theater), but then spread to the larger venues. But then more and more people who weren't regular theater goers started to come to concerts, and since they weren't in on the joke, they were hearing "OGS" as "48", repeating that, and now since then and since the majority of them are yelling that...

The songs which you shout "OGS!" are:

10nen Zakura

Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru

and lastly Team B Oshi

Please shout "OGS" and not "Fourty Eight"

3.3) Miscellaneous Calls

Certain songs have a special cheer. Since there are too many to list out, I will just list those that you are most likely to encounter.

When there is a short break between solo lines, you shout the nickname of the member singing. Sometimes it is also shouted during duet lines. It is up to you to choose which member to shout for

Name calls are limited to not more than 3 syllables (the 'ん' doesn't count), more than that and it would sound messy and not match with the music. For members with nicknames more than 3 syllables (e.g ta-ka-mi-na), you shout "Mi-na-mi" instead. There are also cases when the name calls are different from the member's nickname. For example Kuramochi Asuka's call is not "Mo-cchi" but "A-su-ka"

4.1) Chozetsu Kawaii (超絶かわいい)
Meaning "Absolutely cute", it is shouted before the second name call.
For example in the video below, at 0:18 the first name call is "Ma-yu-yu". Then at 0:22 before the second name call, "Chozetsu Kawaii" is shouted, then "Ma-yu-yu".
Note that there isn't any name call at 0:30, as there isn't a break in the singing. However "Chozetsu Kawaii" is still shouted at 0:36.

You can hear "Chozetsu Kawaii" being shouted at 0:22 of this video:

5.0) Movements

There are also some specialized hand movements used in AKB48 performances. Most of it falls under these 2 categories:

5.1) Kecha (ケチャ)
Done during a slow song, or the slow part of a fast song. A lot of fast AKB songs actually have a slow portion before the last chorus.

A good example is AKB48's Ponytail to Shushu, at 2:00 of the video:

Instructions:
1. You extend both arms, hands outstretched, toward the member(s) singing.
1.5. If you are holding a lightstick, you don't have to open your hands.
2. Slowly bring both arms upwards.
3. Bring you hands back toward you.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3

Demonstration at 3:09 of the video:

5.2) Furicopy (振りコピ)
Furicopi is the art of copying the members arm movements. When the AKB48 members do a movement with their RIGHT hand, you do the same with your RIGHT hand.

Do take note that you are in a tight space, so beware of hitting the people around you.

A good example of Furicopy is in AItakatta, during "Aitakatta, aitakatta, aitakatta, YES! Kimi ni~" and also "LaLaLaLaLa" parts when the members are waving their hand. You don't do a Furicopy of the whole song.

More complete furicopies are mostly done with songs that have mike stands, because both hands are utilized.